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<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Preterm birth is a common cause of death in newborns and may result from many determinants, but evidence for the socioeconomic and environmental determinants of preterm birth in Tibetan women of childbearing age is limited. The aim of this study was to understand the current status of preterm birth in native Tibetan women and investigate the socioeconomic and environmental determinants.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Data were drawn from a cohort study which was conducted from August 2006 to August 2012 in rural Lhasa, Tibet, China. A total of 1419 Tibetan pregnant women were followed from 20 weeks' gestation until delivery; the loss to follow-up rate was 4.69%. The incidence of preterm birth was estimated to show the status of preterm births in Tibet. Logistic regression models for longitudinal data were established, and odds ratios (ORs) together with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to evaluate the association between the occurrence of preterm birth and 16 selected potential determinants based on the hierarchical conceptual frame.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The incidence of preterm birth was 4.58% (95% CI = 3.55-5.80%). After adjusting for health-related variables of the mothers and newborns, socioeconomic and environmental determinants associated with preterm birth included season (spring: OR = 0.28, 95% CI = 0.09-0.84; autumn: OR = 0.21, 95% CI = 0.06-0.69; and winter: OR = 0.31, 95% CI = 0.12-0.82) and calendar year of delivery (2010: OR = 5.03, 95% CI = 1.24-20.35; 2009: OR = 6.62, 95% CI = 1.75-25.10; and 2007-2008: OR = 5.93, 95% CI = 1.47-23.90).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The incidence of preterm birth among native Tibetan women was low and there was a decreasing trend in recent years; however, it is still essential to strengthen seasonal maternal care, extend the spacing between pregnancies, and reinforce adequate maternal nutrition.</p>
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Objective To evaluate the diet quality and the relative factors among rural residents in Hanzhong,Shaanxi province.Methods A cross-sectional survey on dietary status together with a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire were conducted on rural residents aged from 18 to 80 in Hanzhong of Shaanxi in 2010.Diet quality was evaluated by using the Chinese Diet Balance Index (CDBI) scoring and evaluating system.Linear regression models were developed to identify factors that influencing the status of under/over intake.Results 2748 rural residents were investigated with the average daily intake of grains,beans,heavily salted vegetables,plant oil,nuts and salt.Results showed that they were higher than average level of Chinese rural residents' (P＜0.01).80％ of the residents having their daily intake of grains,oil and salt exceeded,while animal food,diary food,egg,vegetable and firuits were lower (P＜0.01) than the RNIs.However,there was under intake noticed to some extent in some areas.The average values of DBI_LBS and DBI_HBS were 22.8 and 9.8.The proportions of moderate under intake (20＜DBI_LBS≤40) and moderate over intake (10＜DBI_HBS≤20) were 62.6％ and 48.0％.The main factors that influenced the dietary under-intake were education level,fortune index,hypertension,physical activity,and time to watch television.The main factors that affected the over-intake of diet were sex,age,number of family numbers,intensity of labor,time to sleep,smoking and drinking habits.Conclusion The main diet problem among the rural residents was under-dietary-intake,with over-intake to some extents,suggesting that it was necessary to strength the specific intervention program,to improve the diet quality in the residents of Hanzhong area.
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Objective To analyze the fertility rate and to estimate the future population size of Shaanxi province,based on data from the sixth national population census.Methods Fertility rate curve was used to analyze the fertility model and the abbreviated life table.The actual fertility rate was used as the main way to predict the future population size.General fertility rate was analyzed by factor analysis approach.Results The total fertility rate of Shaanxi province was 1.05 in 2010 while age-specific fertility rate contributed 101.27％ to the general fertility rate.The expected population sizes would be 38 122 474 in 2015,38 432 931 in 2020 and 38 121 904 in 2025 respectively.Conclusion Birthrate would become lower and the population size appearing a negative increase in the year 2020,in Shaanxi province.
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Magnetic resonance imaging has became the major method for rectal cancer diagnosis. As a novel magnetic resonance functional imaging technique, diffusion-weighted imaging has improved the lesion detection sensitivity and provided more information on changes in body functions. The past two decades have witnessed the increasing application of this technique in clinical practices. This article summarizes the application of diffusion weighted imaging in rectal cancer diagnosis.